Days Gone Catch-All

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Hey everyone, it's me, biker man. This is the catch-all for Days Gone, the new open world exclusive game on the PS4. No reviews (until Thursday I think) but seems like folks are streaming and posting video.

I'll likely pick this up on Friday if the reviews are strong enough. I've a feeling it will review consistently around the 7-8 mark. I'd like to support Sony Bend, they've had a long development & poured their hearts into this, it be nice to see some good success for them when Day's Gone releases.

The only real reservations I've had are the lack of impact from bullets when shooting freakers & the bike physics looked a little floaty. I'll reserve judgement until I play it though.

The most recent story trailer had me way more interested as Deacon as a character too, I thought this might have been way more run of the mill until I watched that.

May want to hold off, Spikeout. Reviews are rollin' in.

5/10 Gamespot
6.5 IGN
"Ugly" "Miserable" on Waypoint
7.75 Game Informer

Looks like finally getting around to the Horizon Zero Dawn DLC I missed might be a better move.

Yep was looking on metacritic there & there's too many 6's & below, even though there's some very good reviews in there. Don't think I want to drop £50 on it & be annoyed that its average, although I spent £35 on Kingdom Hearts 3 & its baaaaad :p

Maybe when they patch Days Gone a good bit & it drops to around the £20 mark, might be worth checking out.

I've been watching for this since a friend of mine told me it was high on his list of 2019 releases.

The footage I saw - from an E3 a few years ago, I believe - didn't look promising. The best 3rd person games look very good now (Uncharted, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead), and this didn't.
Also, the premise felt... clumsy. A biker-based Last of Us-alike?

It seems that the critics agree. Perhaps the bar for 3rd person action games is too high for Sony Bend, who have been exclusively portable games for the last decade or so.

I should say that I too have a soft spot for, and sympathy for, Sony Bend. They were the Dev Team handed the thankless task of providing the early action games for Sony's portables. Syphon Filters (Dark Mirror, and Logan's Shadow) for PSP, and Uncharted: Golden Abyss for the Vita.

And they did a good job. Metacritic confirms my memory that these games were pretty good for a early games on new handhelds. Scores in the 8s out of 10. With the exception of Resistance: Retribution , they're all games I'd happily play again.

Days Gone Review "Buy, Wait for Sale, Rent, Never Touch?"

Days Gone - Easy Allies Review

Judging on reviews and impressions I am intrigued by the resource management, and the threat assessment. Which route to take. What time of day or night to go out. Stop to refuel or push on. At what distance to hop off the motorcycle and go on foot. Fight or flight. I feel these aspects could provide an engaging gameplay loop.

Less appealing is the seeming lack of depth to our protagonist, or the companion(s). Perhaps there's a worthwhile discovery concerning the outbreak, or to humanity forging a path through. Or not. I've yet to see a compelling hook as to why to bother with the how, as much as the latter seems somewhat appealing.

I was thinking about getting this day one, but will wait now. On to Rage 2.

Giant Bomb "Quick Look". It's over an hour long. Vinny is in the...driver seat. Mike Mahardy from Gamespot, Abby, and Alex are there. Vinny's actually fairly positive on it but he's only about 5-6 hours in.

Jim Sterling has a good impressions video too.

Hmm, I had my eye on this, but them's some mixed reviews.

Has anyone here played it? I tend to nit trust reviewers since they just plow through games as quick as possible.

I ended up pre-ordering this as a B-Day gift. Wanted to support Sony Bend since they are a "Local" small developer. I've only spent an hour or so worh it, but as soon as I get a better grasp on it I'll share my time with it

I caught up with a few acquaintances yesterday and they spoke highly of Days Gone. Another on social media was talking it up as well. The story was being well received along with the atmosphere. Quite a contrast to the mainstream. They've got me interested now.

I played this a bit last night at a friends house.

The game was "fine". He "someone that has not played any of the top 3rd person games" loved it. Although he has not played a lot of open world games either. Walking around everything was not super crisp but did not feel clunky. Visually it was decent but nothing was amazing. Combat seemed fine but did not stand out. Pretty standard open world mechanics. I did not see enough to comment on the story.

From talking to people it seems like it is a competent open world game that is just a lot of the same. Which is fine if you are into those things. I just would not expect any big innovation and it might a bit samey in the open world feel/mechanics. However, this also explains why media are not overly hyping on it. Personally I am going to pass but I am not a huge open world fan unless it's something like HZD which super crisp mechanics which are important to me.

Anyone who has picked this up have anything more recent to say about it? I know it has received middling reviews but anytime a game averages a 6 or 7, it usually ends up being a game I love. Some examples are Red Faction: Guerilla and The Saboteur. I don't mind a little jank.

At any rate, anybody here have a copy they think they'll get rid of in the next few weeks? I'd be happy to purchase it from you. It's ~$46 on eBay right now. I'd probably like to wait until I could get it for around 30-35.

I'm STILL playing this dumb game, it just goes on and on. But I like it. If you're the kind of person who can settle into a solid 7 and give yourself over to it, there's lots to like here. I really wish the first 25 hours were more like 10. They load a lot of interesting stuff into the late game and layer things in too slowly in the early going.

The core gameplay loop is solid though, can't fault their stealth system.

I'm really enjoying the game and dont understand the reviews at all. I'm also a fan of Sam Witwer so that helps.

Ok, so I’m a little late on getting back to this topic, but I’ve put about 30 or so hours into this game and can give a little bit of insight on how it plays. I apologize for the length, grammar, and punctuation. I had a lot to say and not a lot of time to read over it hah.

Graphics/Environment – You’re not going to get anything too spectacular in this department, but there’s some cool scenery in the back roads of Oregon. The character models are well done, the lighting can be great at times and just ok at other times. There seems to be a lack of shadows in caves that are dimly lit and there’s few light sources about. Holding up a torch for instance, doesn’t really produce any deep shadow effects that would have been great to see. The framerate at times can be a little wonky while driving around on your bike. Though it has gotten considerable amount better with the patches that have hit since release.

It was never a huge problem while I played, but I could see how it may irk those that are a little pickier about their graphical preferences. Backing up to the scenery again; as someone who’s spent a good portion of his life around and in Oregon, it’s pretty spot on. It’s a real treat to see some of the sites that I’ve always loved visiting portrayed this way in a game. The environment ranges from snowy peaks, to rainy forests to stretches of desert in between. Again, the graphics aren’t going to wow you like other PS4 exclusives like God of War, or even other open world games like Assassins Creed: Odyssey. But it really doesn’t need to; it does an admirable job at representing a beautiful real-world location.

Music/Sound/Voice – I’ve been playing this with my Astro A40’s and overall I’m very impressed with the sound. I love the sounds of the rainy environments and the way the trees blow in the wind, the way the gravel and dirt roads sound underneath the tires of your bike, and just the over all “creepy” quiet you can get when you combine the various elements the game throws out at you. The music has a The Last of Us/Red Dead Redemption vibe to it that I really enjoyed. There really isn’t a whole lot of songs you’re going to hear throughout the game, but what you do hear is very well done.

The voice acting can be a hit or miss. Now the main cast of characters do a damn good job with the script they are given; the main character especially. The issue I do have is the use of certain voice lines and how they are delivered in specific ways. It feels like they gave the actor a direction of “Intense” during some of the reads and then placed those intense reads at the wrong time in the game. Hearing “Yah, you like that!? Huh!? I’m going to kill every one of you!” during a time when I’ve just quietly taken out one guy at an enemy camp seems really weird. Especially since the character really gives no indication during the game that he’s coming unhinged.

You’ll also get some repeating dialog when you shouldn’t. And I’ve heard that people are having audio cut in and out at times, but I’ve not experience that yet.

Gameplay/Mechanics/AI – Days Gone isn’t a complicated game. You kill some zombies, help camps, buy gun and bike upgrades, and progress through the story. It’s not really presenting anything new that you haven’t seen before. But there’s a lot to this game that can keep you coming back. While I originally had my concerns about the way the bike handled after what in my opinion, was a terrible introduction to it; I eventually came to love it. Every upgrade seems to matter, and damn does it feel good to weave your way in and out of forest trails and zombie hoards. If it doesn’t catch you at first, give it a little time, it will grow on you.

The shooting is reminiscent of The Last of Us or the Uncharted series, so you’ll either love it or hate it. I found it enjoyable once got a few upgrades and spent some time with it. There’s a “Bullet Time” mechanic that will slow down time, so you can steady your aim when needed (And it will be needed), and most guns feel different enough to justify the purchase. The guns sound and feel powerful enough, and it’s always fun to get to a new camp to see what new goodies they can offer you. I would have liked to have seen more attachment options such as scopes and RDS for the AR’s, and a little more snap when you’re aiming down the sites. Overall, I’m please with what Sony Bend has done with the shooting, even though I think it can feel a little too “loose” at times.

The missions themselves pit you up against human enemies or “Freakers” (Aka Zombies). The humans are dumb as rocks and pose little threat, but that never bothered me as the bread and butter here are the zombies. During the game you’ll come across various groups of zombies and subtypes within those groups. They are easy enough to take care of but can sneak up on you if you’re not paying attention. The fun lies with the hoards. There are a ton of these around with numbers sporting 100-400 zombies. Seeing my first hoard was terrifying! It looked like someone took a video of a swarm of ants around their prey and then sped the video up 4x. They’re fast, they’re vicious, and if you are not prepared, they will eat you alive.

The engine they used to accomplish such a large group of enemies on screen is truly a site to behold. Even if it’s at the expense of other things such as shadows and lighting as stated before. I did hear other sites complain that you can’t take on full hoards with the equipment you have until the end of the game, and that’s just not true. You absolutely can, and you can do it damn near from the start. You must use the environmental tools the developers have provided you. Make sure you take zombies down paths near explosive barrels, bottle necks, and fuel trucks. You just need to prepare your weapons and check out your surroundings before you dive in head first. It’s meant to be a challenge, and it’s not pulling any punches in that regard.

Overall – If you’re a fan of the zombie genre and love open world games that fit this kind of mold; you’re going to really enjoy this. I believe this is a gem of a game that is incredibly underrated given its critic review. Are you getting a AAA super hit like “The Last of Us”? Of course not. But what you are getting is a game with a great environment to ride around in, hoards and hoards of freakers to put down, and a lot of heart from the developers. Is this game worth the $60 drop? In my opinion, if you’re a fan of the genre? Yes. Send some love towards Sony Bend. If you’re still not sure? Wait a while and pick it up on a sale. Either way, it’s a game worth exploring.

Great review - thanks! You've moved this from 'eh, maybe on deep discount' to 'hmm, maybe a bit sooner' for me!

I finally picked this game up during Playstation's Days of Play because they had it marked down to $40 and I had a $25 Amazon card, so I couldn't pass it up for $15.

I gotta say, this game is exactly the type of game I love the heck out of. I'm playing it very similarly to the way I played Red Dead 2 which is to say, purposely not doing a lot of the quests, allowing myself to stumble on them since you pass through the same areas all of the time. Purposely leaving my bike behind to go out and hunt the Freakers just to see what I stumble across.

I've only killed 2 hordes so far, one near where you gotta kill the guy with red boots and the Death Train horde. I haven't unlocked any of the guns people say you should have and I don't have the napalm bombs yet. I will admit the game chugs along very slowly. Collecting resources seems like just as much of a timesink as a legitimate game mechanic. It really feels like they aped what The Last of Us did but tried to expand it out into an open world. I'd say it only half worked.

I can admit the graphics don't always load in properly. The AI is kind of wonky. When I got to the downed plane and had to fight the giant Freaker guy, I lobbed a couple of grenades, he got stuck on a rock and I shot him a few times, only to discover once he went down that I was inside of a giant boss arena so I apparently wasn't meant to cheese him so hard.

I still feel like I and many others are playing two totally different games. I don't understand the hate the game is getting. I think it looks great, I've had a ton of fun with the photo mode. I've had fun accidentally stumbling across the Saw Mill Horde while trying to do a Nero station and then attempting to escape (I did not). In a lot of ways, this game feels like a cross between The Last of Us and Horizon: Zero Dawn in my opinion. Maybe not as polished as either of those, but with a lot of the same DNA.

I dunno, I just don't get why it is so divisive. I remember Arkham Knight having tons of issues running on PC at launch and I was one of them affected by it, but after a few patches, it ran like a dream and I thought that game was like an 8/10 but people mercilessly attacked it, even after the problems were fixed.

I find myself sitting at work watching gameplay of it. I went on vacation last week and was itching by the end of it to get home just to jump back in. I guess there's no shame in enjoying a game just because others have poo-pooed it. I'm so glad I picked it up and I really hope it does well enough to warrant a sequel someday.

I can really see some of the mechanics being fleshed out better and getting a bit more TLC and becoming many people's GOTY.

*edit after a few more hours - maybe 10*
Do I ever get more ammo? Or a better source? Every time I have to clear out a freaker nest or a evil human encampment I end up using everything I have and then have to scrounge for hours (it feels like) to get enough to go on. At least in H:ZD I could make arrows really easily but in DG the trees to make bolts for the crossbow are quite rare.

I also enjoying the sneaking less and less mostly because there is so much of it. Deacon must have horrible back pain from all the time he spends crouched.

Between the constant lack of items and the sneaking a lot of the shine is wearing off.

So, do I eventually get a more consistent source of ammo or at least funds to buy ammo all the time from camps?

I just picked this up and it is really scratching and itch. Someone else mentioned how it is a lot like Horizon: Zero Dawn and it really is. The going from town/camp and doing odd jobs, digging around the world, etc.

So far I am really enjoying it.

Looking at my backlog and my diminishing enjoyment I think i will post this at the trading post. It is in many ways a very good game but so are the other ones on my list and I don't have enough time for everytyhing

Quite the turn around for 2 hours and change.

I am not that horrible....close but not quite.

I posted the edit in my original comment but then remembered that if you just edit a comment it won't move the post to the front page as having new posts....which makes sense. But I figured I would have better luck getting an answer and/or getting someone to buy it if I made a new post so it appears higher up.

There are ammo bags you can buy eventually when

Spoiler:

You get to the military camp

and you can also purchase extended mags for your guns but it requires level 3 at camps which I think by the end of the game, I had only reached level 3 at Iron Mike's camp. So it requires a ton of trust. I think the easiest way is to take down hordes and turn those in or to find random civilians in the wasteland because each one is worth 500-1000 trust depending on which camp you send them to.

I really can't say the game isn't without its flaws but I still played it until completion and didn't regret it. And I've enjoyed the weekly challenges with unlocks that carry over into the main game. I even attempted the Survival mode, which is harder than Hard but I was turned off when I realized it didn't even show waypoints at all as there is really no good way to navigate the map without constantly spamming the survival mode where everything lights up or opening the map every 10 seconds as it disables your mini-map.

Again, good game but technically has a lot of weird issues. I got to one point at the end of the game where the enemy AI just gave up and enemies would approach me and just stand there even as I shot them or wailed on them with a 2x4. And another time I went to clear a horde out of a cave and Deacon held his gun at waist level as though I were up against a rock and he refused to point his gun. Then the map icons wouldn't load and I couldn't do anything until I completely reloaded my last save. Weird issues I'm not used to in what otherwise feels like a AAA game. I really do believe that a sequel would knock it out of the park though.

I personally got the game for $15 and felt I got my money's worth out of it, but I did just throw in H:ZD last week and it still feels fresher and more fun even tho it's going on 2-3 years old now.

Arise thread!

I picked this up in the PSN January sale and I'm very glad I did. I think a lot of the bugs mentioned above have been fixed in recent patches, as it's been pretty stable for me. I did have one weird issue the other day when a whole chunk of the map loaded in at a low level of detail (just landforms and sprites for trees, vehicles and buildings, no detailed textures or NPCs at all) but it was fine when I reloaded.

The game though has seriously got its hooks in me. I'm glad I waited to buy it, because it pushes many of the same buttons for me as the ride-hunt-side mission loop of RDR2 and H:ZD, and if I'd played it right after those games I think I'd have been underwhelmed. But playing it a year later, it's novel enough. Tonally and world-wise, it really reminds me of The Last Of Us. The zombies aren't clickers, but the tension feels similar and the look and feel of the human factions is very similar - you could easily imagine they are set in the same world. The camps system is really good too, they are all very different visually and offer different upgrades, while also giving a nice sense of narrative progression as you earn trust from each.

What I've really enjoyed though has been the story, which I didn't expect at all. Although the game is open world, it does an excellent job of slowly revealing your character's backstory and the mournful tone is again similar to The Last Of Us, although a tiny bit less serious. Deacon St John is oddly voiced during gameplay (he mutters to himself constantly and shouts when he's standing right next to someone or when he's stealthing through an enemy camp) and honestly he's kind of a dick in many of the cutscenes, but the characters feel real, the mocap is really good and I've been really taking my time in the game world, slowly exploring and savouring it. His relationship to his wife is particularly well depicted and works brilliantly as the buildup to the events of the endgame, where I am now. I've ended up really invested in what happens to the characters.

And man, the hordes are genuinely terrifying. My first big horde was part of the main quest line and it took me a few attempts, even with the pretty good weapons I had unlocked by that stage. There's something about a couple of hundred enemies turning en-masse and running at you that really kicks in the adrenaline. It's amazing tech and I hope it finds application in other games. It would be quite the thing to have that used in, say, a medieval battle scene.

I strongly recommend this game. It is really worth playing. I hope it gets a sequel or some story DLC at some point. I suspect with the New Game + mode added in patches, I'll probably play this through a few times and it will become part of my regular rotation.

Glad to see someone else loving it as much as I did. I've been itching to jump back in and play through it again.

My very first encounter with a horde was very cinematic. I literally just ramped over a hill, completely unaware that they were just feet in front of me. 100+ enemies turn and face me and I have to pull a 180 to get away as they're biting at my heels. It was one of the most exhilarating gaming moments I'd had in years.

I dunno what it is about the game but the tension never got stale for me. Even when I took on the Saw Mill horde with near everything maxed out, it felt intense and frantic to play. I loved the game beginning to end.

I finished it a few months back, and most of th le criticism may I saw leveled at the game either never manifest themselves, or were based on an incomplete understanding of the story.

I consider this game to be the equal of Horizon Zero Dawn. They’re practically the same game anyway.

I am diving into this as a get away from Witcher 3 on occasion. I just started and am at the Saw Mill. playing on Normal, is that the recommended or does it get to easy/hard later. I strayed from hard mode as you can't downgrade it later. Neat so far? Still trying to not hit the wrong buttons from other games.

I played on Normal and it had a really good difficulty curve. Early on, you are low on ammo and resources, so taking on even small Hordes is very difficult. Regular zombie encounters, Rippers and raiders are also challenging early on and you need to use stealth a lot of the time to whittle down the odds. As you play you unlock steadily more effective weapons. I left the majority of the Hordes to the end and cleaned them up with the benefit of the late-game megaweapons, but you could do them territory by territory as you go for a bigger challenge.

It's a great and underrated game, hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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